View Full Version : what percentage (guesstimates) of long distance hikers are over 60?
lloyd528
04-04-2010, 19:50
My wife and I hiked Springer to Vt. in '78 and are planning a thru hike in 2011 at age 61.....(forced to leave the trail back then) Just curious...for those of you who have attempted or completed a thru hike, how many 60 and over hikers do you think you ran into??? 10%, less or more?
Wolf - 23000
04-04-2010, 20:28
I don't know the numbers but I would guest about 20% are 60 years young.
I'm not there yet but from my experience they are able to do the trail the same as a 20 year old. Maybe a little slower, sometimes a little faster (more discipline) but they are able to still move up the trail the same as everyone else.
In some ways, the older hikers are better off than the younger crowd in they are able to handle the mental portion better than the younger hikers.
The trail has change A LOT compare to when you hiked the trail. It is easier to follow and a wealth of knowledge out there which can be both good and bad. If you really want to do it, I would encourage you to go for it and enjoy it at the same time.
Wolf
lloyd528
04-04-2010, 21:06
Wolf, you are the first to respond and I am very grateful for your comments and for your use of the term "60 years young". It is very encouraging to hear that you think the older hikers are doing pretty well out there. When we were 28 years old, we were averaging 20 miles per day by the time we got to Vermont. I got injured in Pa. on some rocks and had to recooperate in N.J.. The time we lost forced us to abandon our goal to reach Katahdin. It's been knawing at us ever since. We went overseas to teach, had three kids, and the rest is history. Now we may be granted a leave from the school we teach at to hike the trail during the school's 100th anniversary (The Columbus Academy in Ohio). We plan on a six month hike, where we would only need to hike about 13 miles a day to finish. We plan on starting on Springer as early as we can in March, depending on the weather. In 1978 we started at the end of April but that year, three weeks earlier there were hikers who got frostbite it was so cold. I could go on and on but you are the first to respond and I don't think I could ask for more encouragement. Bless you....Lloyd (no trail name in those days)
ChinMusic
04-04-2010, 21:16
My wife and I hiked Springer to Vt. in '78 and are planning a thru hike in 2011 at age 61.....(forced to leave the trail back then) Just curious...for those of you who have attempted or completed a thru hike, how many 60 and over hikers do you think you ran into??? 10%, less or more?
First: Congrats on you and your wife having your health.
I have seen plenty of folks near that age (don't ask very often, so unsure of numbers) on my section hikes. My gut feeling is that their success rate is fairly high, comparatively. They know what they are in for and just have to dodge injuries.
First: Congrats on you and your wife having your health.
I have seen plenty of folks near that age (don't ask very often, so unsure of numbers) on my section hikes. My gut feeling is that their success rate is fairly high, comparatively. They know what they are in for and just have to dodge injuries.
60 isn't really old..
I'm 48 and last year the same 67 year old man finished in front of me 3 5K's in a row!
A bit outdated, but Roland Musser's Long Distance Hiking: Lessons from the Appalachian Trail (http://www.amazon.com/Long-Distance-Hiking-Lessons-Appalachian-Trail/dp/0070444587) (published in 1997), has statistics of all sorts of things.
I forget the numbers off-hand, but generally speaking most thru-hikers are under-25 and over-55. Basically people at either end of the curve for starting a family, marriage, home ownership, etc.
Interestingly, the same book (limited preview here with relevant statistics (http://books.google.com/books?id=LgCIaZ2zn9QC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Long-Distance+Hiking:+Lessons+from+the+Appalachian+Trai l&cd=1#v=onepage&q=age&f=false)), has section hikers as an average of 50 yrs old. Makes sense if you think of the above.
John Pugh aka Johnny Swank (http://sourcetosea.net/appalachain-trail-thru-hiker-study/) made a more recent study that IIRC had similar results.
Granted, my experience of the AT thru-hiker pool is a decade old, but I'm with Wolf. My first thought/guesstimate was 15-20%.
On section hikes, they seem a bit fewer. It seems the 30-65 age hikers mostly fill those ranks. But there were a good chunk of retirees thru-hiking.
aaronthebugbuffet
04-04-2010, 23:05
15%
"42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot." -- Steven Wright
generoll
04-05-2010, 07:49
from an unscientific survey based upon shuttles, it appears that this year contains more "early retirees". One hiker suggested we change the name of the trail to the Recession Trail. That might cause a bump in the number of hikers in the middle years.
garlic08
04-05-2010, 09:30
I'll just echo all that's been said above.
From personal observation of my long-time hiking partner, Pickle, who was 63 when we hiked our AT thru in '08 (his second, my first), it was hard to keep up with him. He was 57 when he hiked the first time, a five-month effort. His second hike, six years later, only took 3.5 months, and it was more fun. So he's not exactly wasting away in his retirement.
Best of luck in your hike!
lloyd528
04-05-2010, 09:46
I'll just echo all that's been said above.
From personal observation of my long-time hiking partner, Pickle, who was 63 when we hiked our AT thru in '08 (his second, my first), it was hard to keep up with him. He was 57 when he hiked the first time, a five-month effort. His second hike, six years later, only took 3.5 months, and it was more fun. So he's not exactly wasting away in his retirement.
Best of luck in your hike!
He was 63 and it only took him 3 1/2 months?? There is definitely hope for us. In '78, once we got into Virginia,,it was amazing how many miles we were able to do when we got in shape, especially when you leave by 8 am and walk to 8 pm. One thing I missed last time...laying over. We kept moving everyday in hopes of reaching Maine in time. Now we will have six months. As long as my wife's knees hold out, we are golden. Our packs are going to be lighter due to the changes in technology and refueling will be easier along the way...not to mention using lightweight treking poles. That will make it easier for us to use lighter weight boots. We had these huge clunker Vasque boots back then. I'll have 3 lbs. less on my feet....that will make a big difference.
Snowleopard
04-05-2010, 09:46
I think there's a couple places that keep a register for thru-hikers to sign. You might ask the ATC at Harper's Ferry. There's a woman who occasionally posts here who works there.
The Old Chief
04-05-2010, 09:59
Pickle is a hiking machine. The only time I kept up with him on his first thru-hike was when he had Lyme Disease. Garlic and Pickle are probably exceptions to how fast most older hikers can travel, but there will be plenty of "older" hikers out there when you go. Two of us "old" guys just finished a section hike from the James River to Pearisburg and we managed several days of hiking above 15 miles per day with not too much trouble. Except for boy scout troops, I would say that about half the hikers we saw were older than 55.
Having hike with Garlic and Pickle, I can attest to the miles they can put down (esp when a certain someone is there to meet Pickle! :) )
Having said that, the 'secret' for any person to do higher mileage is not speed but hiking all day. How to do this? Be physically active when not doing long hikes, try to have a reasonable pack weight and body weight. Hiking 10 hrs a day at 2MPH = 20 MPD. Not super human and done by people of all ages. :)
I often forget that one of my closer friends in the outdoors will be turning 50 soon. He is in such good shape! He can put down the mileage on hikes, does a lot of backcountry skiing and is introducing me to alpine climbing/mountaineering this summer.
So, when I see people like Pickle et al., I can't wait to hit retirement age! :)
lloyd528
04-05-2010, 10:56
This thread gets better with age! No pun intended. Now I can't wait to hit the trail and burn some tread. Hiking the AT was the best experience in our lives. We gave thought to completing what we didn't finish...the last 500 miles from southern Vt. to Katahdin but there is something so alluring about doing it all over again. I think if we started in Vermont, we'd get to Maine and want to keep on going into Canada, so why not just start in Georgia.
TJ aka Teej
04-05-2010, 10:59
50 is the new 30.
Lordy, I hope so!
How old was Ray Jardine when he hiked it last year?
Good luck with your hike!
I have no Idea what the current percentage is of over 60 thru-hikers is. I haven't thru-kiked yet. But I bet whatever it is, it's about ready to increase as the big bubble of baby boomers hits retirement age. I know it's all I have been thinking about for more that 5 years. I wish you and your wife Godspeed and happy trails on your journey.
RichardD
04-08-2010, 14:26
I guess I am part of that "bubble". I retire in two months and will attempt a through next spring.
Some things I noticed on my first foray on the AT last Summer. We met many hikers who hiked 20 miles per day and the funny thing was that we kept on seeing them, week after week!! and we hiked 12 to 14 miles per day!.
There were also groups of twenty somethings and although they flew past us on the uphills we ended up in the same place most nights.
I sure hope 60 something is not too old as I really want to complete the AT, then the PCT, then possibly the CDT.
There is nothing inherent in being age 60 to keep anyone who has remained reasonably active from doing a through hike. Certainly, anyone who does annual week long section hikes, and numerous day and weekend walks, is phyiscally able to thru hike if they want to do so.
The big hazard to most 60-year-olds is the natural attempt to keep up with the majority of hikers, who have the advantage of several decades. Too much speed and too many hours early on can quickly end a long distance hike.
But if you can walk five miles in two hours, you can do 15 miles in six hours. And 15 miles a day will get one between Springer and Katahdin rather easily, given the six months most devote to a thru hike.
Failures stem mostly from falls, sprains, and blisters -- all a product of going too fast for conditions.
Weary
My wife and I hiked Springer to Vt. in '78 and are planning a thru hike in 2011 at age 61.....(forced to leave the trail back then) Just curious...for those of you who have attempted or completed a thru hike, how many 60 and over hikers do you think you ran into??? 10%, less or more?
One of the guys I thru hiked with in 07 was 65 and another 63. there were many other in their 50's and 60's. One of the 60+ guys I met in 07 completed his triple crown in 09 and is bicycling around the country this year.
I have said it before, usually as an older hiker blows by me on a hill, "The trail does not know your age, just your hiking ability". Enjoy your trip in 2011.